Obesity research shows promise for weight loss control

UC Irvine Health expert comments on new gastric balloon device

November 06, 2015

Dr. Ninh T. Nguyen

IN THE NEWS: A device that's swallowed like a pill and slowly opens in the stomach as a “gastric balloon” has helped patients lose more than a third of their excess weight over a four-month period, according to research presented Thursday at Obesity Week, a joint annual meeting of the Obesity Society and the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.

Dr. Ninh T. Nguyen, UC Irvine Health chief of gastrointestinal surgery and immediate past president of the ASMBS, said the device is not a permanent solution to weight loss, but has the potential to help those individuals who are overweight or have obesity and are not candidates for bariatric surgery, according to the Los Angeles Times. Dr. Nguyen was not involved in the study.

The Food & Drug Administration has not approved the device for weight loss, but it is one of a new generation of gastric balloons aimed at helping the obese lose weight and improve related health conditions without undergoing an invasive and largely permanent bariatric surgery.

“New treatment options are being studied and approved for the treatment of obesity, which is good news for our patients and the health care professionals involved in their treatment,” said Dr. Nguyen. “For many struggling with their weight, procedure less gastric balloon devices may serve as a treatment option that bridges the gap between weight-loss drugs and surgery.”